Rising Stars: Meet Mayra Zepeda-Castillo of Overland Park/Olathe

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mayra Zepeda-Castillo

Hi Mayra, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started attending ESU in 2016 to study Elementary Education. I then became a single mom & had to put my education to a halt. In 2018 I was given the opportunity to work in Early Childhood & have loved it since then. I loved this field but I felt like I was missing a part of myself. I’ve always loved makeup & luckily, I was able to have another part time job working at Sephora. It is the best of both worlds. I love helping others & both fields enabled me to do so. Growing up, I’ve gone through my fair share of trauma. I’ve made it my mission for each family that I care for to know that their child(ren) will always be loved, heard & cared for by me. After all, I now have two daughters myself.

With Sephora, it has brought back a passion in myself that was lost due to PPD. Working at the Sephora in Oak Park Mall has opened me up to others who have just as much passion in all things beauty as I do. While it is still retail, I love recommending items to my clients that I believe will work for them— whether it’s high end or low end. Overall, I love being in both fields!

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I love being an ECE, but we are also one of the most underpaid & underappreciated workers. For myself, I mostly do it for the children in my care.

In Sephora, I was struggling with my self image & how I viewed myself. It was difficult learning to love myself & my PP body. Being a self taught makeup artist with no formal schooling also put a damper on how some people would view my knowledge of the beauty world.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In ECE, I specialize in teaching Infants & Toddlers. The first 3 years of a child’s life are crucial as this is the point where they absorb & learn the most. I take a motherly-like approach to learning with the kiddos in my care. My favorite quote is: Children who are loved at home, go to school to learn. Children who are not, go to school to be loved.

In the beauty industry, what sets me apart is that I am 100% real when it comes to recommending products. I also use my own personal experience with products/brands & use that knowledge to help others find what they need. In my (very rare) offtime, I also post TikTok’s with beauty products & makeup looks I’ve created!

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
ECE’s are one of the most underpaid & underappreciated workers.

Online shopping skyrocketed during this time!

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mizc.makeup?igsh=MXc3NHMwMWYwNnNncg==
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mayrazepeda.castillo?mibextid=ZbWKwL
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@mayra.izc?_t=8nDoob78HBm&_r=1